Clippers take shooting guard C.J. Wilcox at No. 28 in NBA Draft

Washington guard C.J. Wilcox (23) following an 82-75 victory over Southern California in an NCAA college basketball game March 8, 2014, in Seattle. Wilcox was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers with their No. 28 first-round pick in the NBA Draft.
AP Photo — Joe Nicholson

Unlike some of the players taken in the first round of Thursday’s NBA Draft, shooting guard C.J. Wilcox out of the University of Washington was stoked about the team that selected him No. 28 — the Clippers.

Wilcox, of Pleasant Grove, Utah, was hanging out with family and friends in San Diego — his parents moved there about two years ago — when he got news that the Clippers were about to pick him.

“Everybody was nervous until the pick happened,” he said. “We got the call a couple of minutes before and started celebrating before my name was even called. So it was a really surreal moment, but everybody’s excited and ready to get started.”

Wilcox, who stayed through his senior year in college, is 6-foot-5 and a good shooter. As a senior, he averaged 18.3 points and 2.5 assists. He shot 45.3 percent from the field, 39.1 percent (90 of 230) from 3-point range.

Wilcox had already talked to Clippers coach Doc Rivers about what will be expected of him once the season commences.

“I just talked to Doc not too long ago and defense was the first thing he brought up,” Wilcox said during a telephone interview with reporters at the Clippers’ headquarters in Playa Vista. “It’s something I’m definitely capable of doing, so you know, that comes first. Definitely, my ability to shoot the ball is going to help stretch the floor, you know, help Chris Paul and some of the other guys get going and make their jobs a little bit easier.

“Kind of do my part, fill my role and go from there.”

There were several players the Clippers might have picked ahead of Wilcox had they still been available. Rivers wouldn’t say specifically who they were. But the Clippers were thought to be interested in shooting guard Jordan Adams (UCLA), point guard Shabazz Napier (UConn), power forward Clint Capela (Switzerland) and shooting guard P.J. Hairston (Tex Legends, D-League). They went to Memphis (No. 22), Charlotte (No. 24), Houston (No. 25) and Miami (No. 26), respectively.

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However, Rivers seemed nothing but happy to get Wilcox, who was a fifth-year senior last season for the Huskies.

“He’s a great shooter,” Rivers said. “You know I value shooting. You know, when you’re at 28, I don’t think you can afford to pick what needs you have. I have never thought that.”

Rivers pointed to last season when he selected small forward Reggie Bullock even though that position was not a need at the time. And with shooting guards J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford in the current fold, the Clippers didn’t necessarily need another one.

“We have Jamal and J.J., but he’s the best player,” Rivers said. “I think you can always make it work whem you can get the best player. And I thought as far as shooting, in this league you need it; you can never have enough of it. I’m a big believer of it.

“I thought he may have been the best shooter in the draft. If not No. 1, No. 2.”

Wilcox holds the school record at Washington for made 3-pointers with 301, which is sixth in Pac-12 history. He is second all-time in scoring at UW with 1,880 points.

There were several trades made on draft day, but none involved the Clippers.

“The day was an interesting day,” Rivers said. “We were close to doing a couple of things, I’ll tell you that. And actually, a pick wasn’t involved. I think we would have ended up with another pick, actually, if we had done one deal.

“Most deals fall apart. We didn’t have great confidence this morning when we woke up that the deal we thought we may get would happen.”

Interestingly, when Rivers was asked if he could talk about who the other players were he might have picked before Wilcox, he stopped a reporter short.

“No, because some are maybe still in play, so no would be the answer to that one,” he said. “You know, summertime I may tell you.”